The customary storefront crowds are expected to gather as Apple’s latest iPad goes on sale Friday. Long lines are likely even though customers could have ordered the new tablet computer ahead of time for first-day home delivery.

The third version of Apple’s iPad will be available in the U.S. and nine other countries beginning at 8 a.m. local time. In Dallas, Apple’s store on Knox Street always opens at 8 a.m., but other locations normally open at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. They will all open at 8 a.m.

The new model comes with a faster processor and a much sharper screen. It also has an improved camera, similar to that of the latest iPhone.

For many customers, visiting a store in person — instead of having one shipped — offers a chance to mingle with die-hard Apple fans.

Two years after the debut of the first iPad, the device’s launch has become the second-biggest “gadget event” of the year, after the annual iPhone release. A year ago, thousands lined up outside the flagship Apple store on New York’s Fifth Avenue. The device sold out on launch day, even though it didn’t go on sale until 5 p.m.

Apple does its part to encourage a party atmosphere. In past years, the company’s retail employees have provided bottled water, coffee, bagels and even cupcakes to people in line. They’ve cheered and clapped as customers entered and left. Some customers bring lawn chairs and sleeping bags. Others dress as iPhones and iPads.

Although Apple’s product releases have become a cultural phenomenon, the cultlike crowds that line up outside its stores have made the company vulnerable to gentle ribbing from competitors.

Television ads for Samsung’s Galaxy line of phones routinely poke fun at people who are camped out in line for what appears to be an Apple product release.

The spots, in heavy rotation since December, portray Apple fans as clueless drones who think they’re too cool to buy gadgets made by companies other than Apple. In one of the commercials, a bearded hipster says he could never buy a Samsung phone because he’s “creative.” A bystander observes: “Dude, you’re a barista.”

For some customers, standing in line will offer the only chance to get a new iPad on Friday. Apple quickly ran out of supplies it set aside for advance orders. The company was telling customers Thursday to expect a two- to three-week wait for orders placed through its online stores.

Friday is also expected to be a big day for the resale of older iPad versions.

Fort Worth-based RadioShack and Grapevine-based GameStop are set up to buy back Apple phones and iPads.

The new iPad is called just that: “the new iPad.” Apple declined to give it a name such as “iPad 3” or “iPad HD.” That is consistent with its naming practice for iPods, MacBooks and iMacs, but a break with the way iPhone models are named.

In the U.S., the new iPad starts at $499, the same as the previous model, the iPad 2, when it debuted a year ago. The iPad 2 remains in stock, for $100 less.

Despite competition from cheaper tablet computers such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire, the iPad remains the most popular tablet computer. Apple has sold more than 55 million iPads since its debut in 2010, including some 40 million last year. Researchers estimate that the iPad has more than 60 percent of the market for tablets.

Apple’s stores are likely to draw the biggest crowds because they usually have the largest launch-day supplies, but the tablet will also be sold at Best Buy, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Target and Wal-Mart.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless will also sell iPads, but only models with built-in cellular broadband modems. Those models use the companies’ latest high-speed wireless networks, based on so-called 4G LTE technology. They’ll be the first Apple devices with that capability built in.

Soaring Apple

STOCK MILESTONE: Apple stock touched $600 for the first time Thursday, the day before the company’s latest iPad goes on sale. The stock reached $600.01 just after the market opened. It lost those gains and closed down $4.02, or 0.7 percent, at $585.56.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: Apple is the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of nearly $555 billion. It topped $500 billion for the first time in late February, a market value peak where few companies have ventured.